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Robert Devereux, Second Earl of Essex
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Behind Essex are images of the famous raid on Cadiz in 1596 that made him a national hero. Sharing command with Lord Admiral Charles Howard, Essex led a fleet of 150 ships and 6,000 men against the wealthy port where the Spanish moored their fleet of treasure ships bound for the West Indies. When the English fleet arrived off Cadiz, they found the port undefended. Essex attacked by sea while Howard landed his troops and captured the city. Together they sacked and burned the town. But a voyage to the Azores turned up no treasure fleet, and while Essex returned home to popular acclaim, Elizabeth berated him for failing to turn a profit.
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